Lesson for March 14, 2021
The Book of Ephesians
Chapter 2:8-10
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Paul now expands on the doctrine of salvation mentioned in verses 5-6. But God in verse 4 told us what God provided at salvation when we were spiritually dead, controlled by Satan’s world system and controlled by our sin nature. First, He made us alive together with Christ and then seated us with Christ at the right hand of the Father, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
For by grace is the operating principle of God’s plan. Grace is the way in which God can provide all things for us, which were designed for us in eternity past, without compromising His character and at the same time glorifying Himself. So, grace is the only the plan of God because it means that God does the work to the exclusion of man’s works.
The Greek word for saved is “sozo” meaning deliverance and referring to eternal salvation from God as a result of faith in Jesus Christ. The Greek word for faith is “pistis,” which means to believe. In this case it means to believe in Christ. Faith is non-meritorious and totally effective because of the object of our faith, Jesus Christ. Faith is a non-meritorious system of perception, a system whereby we can never receive any credit at any time.
And that not of yourselves means human works are excluded for salvation. The only prerequisite for salvation is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. So, this phrase makes it very clear that the source of salvation is God not man. There is absolutely nothing that a person can do to earn or to deserve salvation. It is strictly a manner of God’s grace and man’s positive decision to believe.
It is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Paul went on to explain that salvation is gift from God, which makes it even clearer that salvation cannot be earned by the good works of man. But he doesn’t stop there, he also said that salvation is not by means of works, which eliminates any boasting on man’s part regarding his salvation. Jesus Christ did all the necessary work for our salvation on the Cross.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
The Greek word for workmanship is “poiema,” which means made. The Greek word for created is “ktizo,” which also means to make or to create. Therefore, this verse refers to what occurs at salvation as a result of our faith in Christ, explained in verses 8-9. Through the baptism of the Holy Spirit every believer is placed into union with Jesus Christ by means of the baptism of the Holy Spirit according to
I Corinthians 12:13. At the point of faith in Christ, God creates something new for every believer. We are told in the previous verses that we have been made alive in Christ. This new life is called regeneration and it is when God creates a human spirit in a believer.
Regeneration, a theological term for being “born again,” is the term for when God creates a human spirit in the believer at salvation. “Born again” is a poor translation of the Greek and leads one to think that the human spirit already exists and is simply being regenerated. The Greek words for “born again” help us to fully understand the meaning: “born” – “gennao,” which means “to bear or to bring forth a child;” “again” – “anothen,” which means “anew or from above.”
The word “regenerate’ in English can mean to be restored, to reform, to bring into existence again, but it can also mean to be made anew. However, the Greek word for regeneration is “palingenesia” and means a new birth. Regeneration is a new birth, a spiritual birth from above (from God). It is the “new creation” of II Corinthians 5:17, which is better translated “a new spiritual species.” It is a new nature; something that did not exist prior to faith in Christ. (John 3:1-8; I Thessalonians 5:23; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:1,5)
Prior to salvation a person is “spiritually dead” or separated from God. Upon faith in Christ, a person becomes alive spiritually and is no longer separated from God. Regeneration, therefore, is the supernatural work of God whereby He imparts spiritual life to a spiritually dead person. All three members of the Trinity are involved in regeneration. It is the will of the Father that everyone comes to know Christ as Savior. Regeneration is made possible by Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that produces this new birth in the believer. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 2:13; James 1:18; I Peter 2:24; Titus 3:5)
The doctrine of regeneration and the reason for regeneration is clearly stated in II Corinthians 5:17-21. We see the reason we were created in Christ with the phrase “unto good works.” The Greek word for good is “agathos,” which means good of intrinsic, lasting, or eternal value. Only divine good works have eternal value. Therefore, the good works in this verse refer to the divine production of believers as ambassadors for Christ.
Divine production is good of intrinsic (lasting) value done by a believer when he/she is filled with (controlled by) God the Holy Spirit. Divine production is a result of spiritual growth and a grace function of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Therefore, all the honor and glory belong to God, not to the believer. As a matter of fact, God’s Word indicates that these rewards will be placed at the feet of Christ, as a testimony to the fact that He deserves all of the honor. (Revelation 4:10-11)
All other production is human good and contributes nothing to your spiritual life. Human good can be a distraction, if not understood and if it is allowed to be a substitute for your spiritual life. Going to church, giving money, praying, witnessing, helping other Christians can be either divine production or human good depending upon the motivation: filled with the spirit or not filled with the Spirit. Divine production adds nothing to your spiritual life because it is the result of your spiritual growth (your private relationship with God). You do not have a spiritual life apart from the knowledge and application of God’s Word. NO BIBLE DOCTRINE, NO RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, NO TRUE LOVE FOR GOD! (John 4:24; Romans 12:1-2; II Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; II Peter 3:18)
Most believers will never receive recognition in this life for their accomplishments, but this will not be the case in eternity. There is going to be great inequality in the eternal state for believers. It is our fulfillment of God’s plan under the filling of the Holy Spirit that will be rewardable in eternity, not our human good works. All divine production is a matter of God’s grace and is never based on human works. (I Corinthians 9:24-27)
For believers there are only two choices after salvation: 1) execute God’s plan, purpose and will 2) execute your own plan and play into Satan’s hand. The first will result in what the Bible calls gold, silver and precious stones, analogous to divine production on earth. The second will result in what the Bible calls wood, hay and straw, analogous to human production on earth. Both will be judged (represented by fire) at the Judgment Seat of Christ. When gold, silver and precious stones are subjected to fire it purifies them and enhances their value. When wood, hay and straw are subjected to fire they are burned up. It is, therefore, only divine production that survives the Judgment Seat of Christ and is rewardable.
(I Corinthians 3:13-15)
Which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. In eternity-past, God predesigned a perfect plan for every believer. In eternity past God predesigned a perfect plan for every believer. God decided that anyone who believed in Christ would receive certain blessings on earth and greater blessings in eternity. This plan was predetermined by God for the believer’s maximum happiness. (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:3-12)
A person enters the plan of God at salvation by freely choosing to believe in Christ. After salvation, a believer may or may not continue in God’s plan. In either case, God does not predetermine who will or will not believe or who will or will not execute His plan – that decision is always left up to the individual’s volition. (John 3:16-18)
Since God knows ahead of time exactly what we will or will not choose to do, He is able ahead of time to design a perfect plan for our life. Within the framework of God’s plan for believers is His directive will (His desire for you), His permissive will (God allows you to make the decision even though it is not His desire) and His overruling will (hindering you from doing something in order to protect you or other believers). All three impact the life of a believer at different times and in different ways. In all cases, however, God is working all things together for good for those who are advancing in the Christian Way of Life. (Romans 8:28)
The Greek word for walk is “peripateo,” which means a pattern of life. For believers “peripateo” is used to express the entirety of a believer’s spiritual life. For believers there are only two choices after salvation: 1) execute God’s plan, purpose and will 2) execute your own plan and play into Satan’s hand. The first will result in what the Bible calls gold, silver and precious stones, analogous to divine production (good) on earth. The second will result in what the Bible calls wood, hay and straw, analogous to human production (good) on earth. Both will be judged (represented by fire) at the Judgment Seat of Christ. When gold, silver and precious stones are subjected to fire it purifies them and enhances their value. When wood, hay and straw are subjected to fire they are burned up. It is, therefore, only divine production (good) that survives the Judgment Seat of Christ and is rewardable. (I Corinthians 3:13-15)